Grading Kim Jong Un

9/9/2013 6:06AM

Is North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shifting his focus from military might to economic development? The WSJ's Deborah Kan talks with Yonsei University Prof. John Delury about Dennis Rodman’s latest visit and political developments in Pyongyang.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... the ... today marks the sixty fifth anniversary of the founding of North Korea ... I guess it really comes as no big surprise that we don't know much about him down in ... history as we interact well joining me now is I've done to lower it is a professor at Yonsei ... University in Seoul to give us some insight into cancer leadership High John ... so I'm ... you know ... about your half in our tent it lets the wind at the economy and about a year and half in now in and tend to Kim's leadership ... what really do we know about his economic policies ... sch ... well when she's done is ... she sees articulated a shift from ... the military defense ... and desist word and this is on economic development and that's one of the ... more positive things that we've seen ... bodies articulated that in terms of ... the general slogan of the country's moved away from something called ... the military first policy ... I'm now in Genesis talking about ... a simultaneous development of the new program ... but the same time developing the ... economy is on hold people's economy or civilian economy ... and there been a lot of policy experiment stations ... as well as a leadership change is that that that up ... on its own reports on the ground that I get that there's a continued push any kind of ... entrepreneurial is and it's growing at the grassroots in North Korea ... and then they're also some promising ... policy experiments ... on that the higher levels ... recently noted that Kimpton plays a strong hard line on the nuclear issue ... I'm coming back as that seems meager ... but what we know today and that man has he succeeded in consolidating his power inside the country ... well the assessments are mixed ... but he knows so far in the day when we'd see nice consolidating pretty well I mean formally speaking he's moved in all the positions he should ... um he's surrounded by ... many people including of course the family members ... who were there for his father's ... reign ... but then the boss event changes the power to do in the military ... and that something really you should expect to see ... if the new leader doesn't have control that no one's gonna change ... so we can argue there's been about the right mixture of stability and change that suggests ... that his position is consolidate ... in terms and in keeping with the outside world and certainly I ... had an odd choice and Dennis Rodman acts to engage in in things like Dennis Rodman extraordinary access ... I see him when you make a bomb ... he I e it's hard to make you know um I was in North Korea myself earlier in the year ... I'm with a delegation including Eric Schmidt cool ... um and you know ... the weekend John and in that time to be Eric Schmidt and his stunts and Dennis Rodman so ... op is a strange choice ... on and of course it's can make people question ... on his leadership ... I'd you know looking at the reports on the second trip ... reminds me of what Karl Marx said that things happen in the street was ... the first time as tragedy second time as farce ... and in terms of there being any diplomacy on one key issue which is getting an ... American citizen out of North Korea ... this trip was pretty much farcical as Robins are promised might do something ... other than a C K now ... you know that journalists in Beijing will that sent to Obama ... and Hillary Clinton ... aam score so under Secretary of State ... I'm so open with the farcical ... while we are not that I ... can sum up our winter Rex and activists have anyone to say that ... the rest the world I ... it is more promising than it's been in the past compared to ... new leadership under Kim Jiang Hino or ... reduce a word about the same in terms of progress ... well there have been no breakthroughs time as I mentioned on the economic side ... there are some some good signs ... of no immediate signs on the nuclear side tricking their station ... he I think the key issue is this is the young guy he's ... probably around thirty years old ... I'm and issues are consolidation works ... is likely to remain in charge of this country ... um for potentially decades ... so I think the key issues to think in the long term and think about how she can um in a better direction for the North Korean people and for the region ... and I think along those lines that our external impeachment is very important it's important we have ... serious people meeting and talking with King John in ... that all of this is left to the ... Dennis Rodman trips to the world ... and that's likely to lead to less promising salts ... okay thanks Fran announced on July and training us from Seoul ... for